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| “ | Y'know Donna was eight years older than me. She was always wiser, more level-headed. She always knew what to do, or was able to convince me that she did. I don't know how I'm gonna see those boys to adulthood without her. I really don't know what I'm going to do. But I'm going to try. I'm going to do my best. For her.
―Allen to Rick about Donna.[src]
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Allen is a character first encountered in Issue 2 of Image Comics' The Walking Dead and is the husband of Donna and father of twins, Billy and Ben. Soon after Donna's death, Allen became very depressed and aggressive, having few heated arguments with Andrea. Allen was also the first survivor to be amputated by Rick, which later failed as he died of blood loss.
Pre-Apocalypse
Gainesville, Georgia
Before the outbreak, Allen was employed at a mall in Gainesville as a shoe salesman.
Atlanta, Georgia
When the zombie outbreak began, Allen and Donna had heard that Atlanta would be the safest place to be due to the military's attempts to make it a safe-zone. Thankfully, they arrived late and found that this was not the case. Going around the city, the family came across Glenn, Dale, Amy, and Andrea, who had set up camp on the south side.
Post-Apocalypse
Days Gone Bye
Allen resides at the Atlanta Camp with other survivors, including his wife, Donna, and his sons, Ben and Billy. He attends shooting practice, and helps fight off the zombies that attack and kill Amy. He is seen later at Amy's funeral.
Miles Behind Us
Allen and Donna are happy that the group are moving and on the road, and are very happy when the group find Wiltshire Estates, hoping that they can raise their children there. were happy together while with the survivors as they searched for a new location to stay in after departing Atlanta. However, tragedy struck while clearing out a housing estate. Donna was killed during the clearing, leaving him and the twins devastated. Allen snaps at Andrea after she consoles Allen, claiming that she didn't even know Donna. From then on, Allen keeps to himself and shows signs of mental weakness.
Safety Behind Bars
From that day on, Allen's mental state began to deteriorate, sometimes at the wrong times. During a fight with the undead occupants of the prison, Allen had a mental break down, and only came around once Andrea began yelling for more ammunition. Allen offers to help find the generator of the prison along with Rick, Tyreese, Dale, and Axel. In the process, Allen gets bitten in the Achilles tendon by a lurker.
The Heart's Desire
Allen gets his leg amputated by Rick. Allen apologizes to Andrea for his past actions towards her and asks of her and Dale to look after his sons if he passes away.
Death
Killed By
While searching further into the prison, notably the library and Cell Block A, Allen remained behind to catch his breath after an incident in the library. A lurker crawled from behind, and bit his ankle.
- Rick Grimes (Caused, Before Reanimation)
Rick, after moving him out of the block with the help of Axel, Tyreese, and Dale, desperately attempted to amputate the bitten limb with an axe in order to stop the infection from spreading. After a long struggle against blood loss and a serious infection setting in, Allen died in his sleep, leaving Andrea and Dale to take the twins as their own. Rick, after Allen's death, shot him in the head before he could reanimate. Soon after, his body was buried outside the prison.
Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Allen has killed:
- Numerous counts of zombies.
Relationships
Donna
| “ | No. I can't-- not without her. Just leave me, Rick.
―Allen contemplating suicide after Donna's death.[src]
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Donna was Allen's wife, whom he loved very much. Allen and Donna managed to stay positive after the apocalypse and saw Wiltshire Estates as a possible home to raise their kids. When Donna died, Allen fell into a deep depression. The only thing that kept him going was his children. Allen was usually seen crying over his wife's death.
Ben & Billy
| “ | We're all going to die. We have to get used to that.
―Allen explaining death to his sons.[src]
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Ben and Billy meant a lot to Allen, and they may have been only things that kept him going. Allen loved his boys, and is seen usually playing with them. Allen also told them dying is part of life from now on. After Allen was bitten, he asked Rick to take care of his children and then Andrea.
Rick Grimes
| “ | Take care of my boys, Rick. Please...take care of them like they were your own. You're a good father.
―Allen to Rick after he is bitten.[src]
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Rick and Allen seemed to have a stable relationship. They were comfortable talking about personal things around each other. Rick also tried to convince him that he was going to survive after he was bitten. Rick cuts off his foot in a desperate attempt to save his friend. Later, Rick tells his 'grave' that he's sorry about the leg.
Andrea
| “ | You can get through this Allen, you're going to be okay. I promise...You're going to get through this.
―Andrea to Allen whilst he is on his deathbed.[src]
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Andrea did try to resolve things with Allen after Donna's death, but, he grew agitated and argued with her, saying that her loss was nothing compared to his. Although she did try to support him, he refused to let her help him. Andrea tried to talk some sense into him, reasoning that people will die all the time. Andrea was the one who reported to Rick that Allen was dead. She also showed great remorse after his death.
Glenn
Although not seen interacting much after leaving Atlanta, it is thought they had a good relationship. When Rick and Glenn arrive back at the camp Allen is the first to go see Glenn asking how the trip went and what he got it. He praises Glenn when he finds out Glenn had found some toilet roll. It was likely he was upset after Allen's death.
Carol
Carol and Allen appeared to be on friendly terms. After Donna's death, Carol was seen comforting and hugging him. At the prison, when Allen is bitten, Carol rushes over to see if he is okay. After the amputation of Allen's leg, Carol was devastated and furious at Rick for cutting his leg off, until Rick explained to her that it was to save his life.
Axel
Although these two were shown to have little interaction, they seemed friendly towards each other and had a stable relationship for the time Allen was alive. Axel was horrified at the sight of Allen getting bitten, and was saddened. He did everything he could to help Allen in his time of strife. Axel's hair was used to help cauterize Allen's wound.
Appearances
Trivia
- It's revealed by Allen that he's at least 8 years younger than his wife, Donna. However, the script book reveals his age to be 32, and Donna's 36, in which Donna is only 4 years older than Allen.
- Hershel was originally going to be the one to lose his leg, but, Kirkman felt bad for Hershel, who had lost half of his children, so he decided Allen should be the one to lose his leg.[1] Interestingly, Hershel would later lose his leg in the television series.
- Allen is one of the few survivors who lasted the longest after being bitten, the others being Dale, Jim and Denise Cloyd, as well as Lee Everett.
- Similar to Abraham Ford, Allen's death wasn't originally planned to happen until Issue 20 was released.
- Allen appears to share many similarities with Ryan Samuels, despite him already having a television adaption in Allen.
- Both died in the prison as a result of a zombie bite.
- Both seemed to be slightly overweight and in general physical appearance.
- Both were meant to be saved via amputation, but, passed away regardless.
- Both entrusted their children to another survivor.
- Both had one child who was mentally unstable.
- Both had one child who killed their other child.
References